{"product_id":"9780399537639","title":"The Curious World of Wine: Facts, Legends, and Lore about the Drink We Love So Much","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Curious World of Wine\u003c\/i\u003e is a fascinating miscellany about the colorful characters, celebrated places, and quirky events surrounding wine-making. Recounting wine tales that are by turns amusing, surprising, and occasionally a bit naughty, wine expert Richard Vine reveals little-known facts such as: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e• The oldest vineyard still producing grapes is thought to be in Maribor, Slovenia, where vines up to four hundred years old remain fruitful. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e• “Plonk,” a term used to insult any modestly priced wine, got its name from the French words for white wine—vin blanc, pronounced “vawn blawnk,” which was corrupted to “plawnk” or “plonk.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e• Thomas Jefferson was so eager to plant native French vines at his Monticello mansion that he nearly went bankrupt fruitlessly hiring experts to defeat a condition that caused European vines to mysteriously die in North American soil.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e• Touching wineglasses as a toast was originally a deft move to exchange a splash of wine into each other’s cup to ensure that neither party was being poisoned. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Curious World of Wine\u003c\/i\u003e will keep any wine fan entertained and enlightened—from the most erudite connoisseur to Two Buck Chuck devotees.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47064486641904,"sku":"9780399537639","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780399537639_p0.jpg?v=1763698692","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780399537639","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}